Kite Runner

By emiko andaya

  • The Births of Hassan and Amir

    Amir says, "It was there, in that little shack, that Hassan was born in the winter of 1964, just one year after my mother died giving birth to me" (Hosseini 6).

  • Hassan's Birthday Gift

    Hosseini writes, "The swelling subsided, and the wound healed with time . . . By the following winter, it was only a faint scar. Which was ironic. Because that was the winter Hassan stopped smiling" (Hosseini 47). The remnants of a faint scar is ironic because Hassan always smiled no matter what, so one would think that once Hassan's lip was fixed he would smile even more. However, it is as if Hassan's surgery was a trigger for all the terrible things to come in the near future.

  • The KIte Flying Competition

    Amir says, "I loved wintertime in Kabul . . . because . . . the chill between Baba and me thawed a little. And the reason for that was the kites . . . The kite-flying tournament was an old winter tradition in Afghanistan" (Hosseini 51). Previously in the book, Amir tells of how Baba took him to see the buzkashi races, and how Amir did not have the stomach for it. Thus, Baba became disappointed. However, kite-running is the one thing Baba and Amir reach common ground on.

  • Hassan's Rape

    Amir recalls, "[Assef] dropped his underwear. He positioned himself behind Hassan. Hassan didn't struggle . . . [Hassan] moved his head slightly and I caught a glimpse of his face . . . It was the look of a lamb" (Hosseini 75). Throughout the book, Hassan demonstrates his loyalty to Amir on several occasions by putting himself instead of Amir in harm's way. such as standing up to Assef on the hill. To Hassan, getting raped for the kite is just another price to pay for his loyalty to Amir.

  • Amir's 13th birthday

    Amir recalls, "I ripped open box after box of presents . . . I just gave them a joyless glace and pitched them to the corner of the room. The pile was growing there . . . [including] several sealed envelopes containing cash" (Hosseini 101). Everyone who attended Amir's party gave him so many gifts not because they were celebrating him, but they were celebrating and respecting Baba. As Amir grows up, he lives and Baba's shadow and must live up to Baba's expectations.

  • Ali and Hassan's Departure

    Amir says, "I watched Ali haul the lone suitcase carrying all their belongings to Baba's car . . . Hassan lugged his mattress . . . He'd left all his toys behind . . . I discovered them the next morning, piled in a corner just like the birthday presents in my room" (Hosseini 108). Hassan and Ali finally exit Amir's life like he wanted in order to start again with a clean slate. With the way Hassan left his toys, this further indicates the similarities and brotherly bond between Hassan and Amir.

  • The Soviet Invasion

    The New York Times article states, "The first Soviet troops parachuted into Kabul on Dec. 27, 1979" (The New York Times).

  • Baba and Amir leave Afghanistan

    Hosseini writes, "'We're in Pakistan, Amir,'" Baba said. He was standing over me. "Karim says he will call for a bus to take us to Peshawar'" (Hosseini 123). Two years after the Soviet invasion takes place, Baba and Amir make a trip to Peshawar in hopes of leaving to America. This insinuates the effect of America or the American dream. When something terrible happens such as severe poverty or war in other countries, people flee to America.

  • Baba and Amir arrive in California

    Hosseini writes, "Baba loved the idea of America. It was living in America that gave him an ulcer. I remember the two of us walking through Lake Elizabeth Park in Fremont" (Hosseini 125). Baba and Amir travel to America, what more, to California in hopes of a better life. However, as it always turns out, life in America is still very difficult, maybe even worse.

  • Amir meets Soraya

    Amir recalls, "Lying awake in bed that night, I thought of Soraya Taheri . . . My heart stuttered at the thought of her. Soraya Taheri. My Swap Meet Princess" (Hosseini 142). Amir finally meets someone he is interested in, and it's the general's daughter. This references back to when Baba met Sofia along with her high status. History repeats itself with Amir and Soraya.

  • Baba's Sickness

    Amir says, "It turned out that, like Satan, cancer had many names. Baba's was called "Oat Cell Carcinoma." Advanced. Inoperable" (Hosseini 156). Amir and Baba discover that Baba has developed cancer, and Baba no longer has a chance of possibly curing it. This shows Baba's stubbornness due to the number of times Baba refused to go to the doctor, insisting that he felt fine.

  • Amir and Soraya get married

    Amir recalls, "I remember walking toward the stage, now in my tuxedo, Soraya a veiled [beauty] in white, our hands locked . . . The wedding song, ahesta boro, blared from the speakers . . . I remember wondering if Hassan too had married" (Hosseini 170). One of the only things Amir was not cowardly about was marriage and commitment. By Amir thinking about Hassan, even on his wedding day, indicates how much Hassan had impacted Amir's life.

  • Baba's Death

    Amir says, "Just before midnight, Baba asked us to help him into bed . . . "I'll come back with your morphine and a glass of water, Kaka jan," Soraya said. "Not tonight," [Baba] said. "There is no pain tonight." . . . We closed the door. Baba never woke up" (Hosseini 173). Baba dies a month after Amir and Soraya's wedding, almost symbolizing a new beginning. This insinuates It's Amir's time to create his own identity rather than live in Baba's shadow as his son.

  • Soviet Troops Leave Afghanistan

    The New York Times article states, "The last Soviet troops left Afghanistan in February 1989" (The New York Times).

  • Babrak Karmal becomes president

    The New York Times article states, "Babrak Karmal . . . had become president in a coup within the Afghan Communist leadership" (The New York Times).

  • The Origin of the Taliban

    The New York Times article states, "The [Taliban's] first action occurred when Mullah Omar, a Pashtun . . . gathered a small band of men and attacked a group of warlords who had raped a girl and shaved her head. By the end of 1994, Mullah Omar had nearly 12,000 followers" (The New York Times).

  • The Taliban Take Over

    The New York Times article states, "The Taliban, the extremist Islamic group that had seized control [of Afghanistan] in 1996 after years of civil war" (The New York Times).

  • The Destruction of Sacred Buddha Statues

    The New York Times article states, "Western diplomats say Al Qaeda helped persuade Mullah Omar to order the destruction of the 800-year-old Buddha statues at Bamiyan" (The New York Times).

  • Driving out the Taliban

    The New York Times article states, "An air and ground campaign began that drove the Taliban out of the major Afghan cities by the end of the year" (The New York Times).

  • Chairman Karzai

    The New York Times article states, "Hamid Karzai . . . was named chairman of an interim government that replaced the defeated Taliban . . . [He was] a celebrity in flowing cape and dark gray karakul cap" (The New York Times).

  • Amir must get Sohrab

    Rahim Khan said, "'Amir jan, I summoned you here because I wanted to see you before I die, but that's not all . . . I want you to go to Kabul. I want you to bring Sohrab here'" (Hosseini 220). Rahim Khan gives Amir the task of saving Sohrab, Amir's long lost nephew. This not only shows the love Rahim Khan has for Amir, but for Hassan and his family as well.

  • 9/11

    The New York Times article states, "The attack on the World Trade Center in New York on Sept. 11, 2001" (The New York Times).

  • Amir saves Sohrab and they run kites.

    Amir recalls, "The green kite was making its move . . . Then, just like that, the green kite was spinning . . . out of control . . . I looked down at Sohrab. One corner of his mouth had curled up just so. A smile. . . . "Do you want me to run that kite for you?" . . . "For you, a thousand times over," I heard myself say" (Hosseini 371). History is allowed to repeat between Amir and Sohrab just as Amir had with Hassan. This indicates Amir's effort to atone by paying Hassan back through Sohrab.

  • Amir reunites with Assef

    Amir states, "My past was always like that, always turning up. His name rose from the deep and I didn't want to say it . . . His name escaped my lips: "Assef'" (Hosseini 281). Amir discovers that the Taliban leader who took Sohrab is Assef, the bully from his childhood. Assef is a physical manifestation of Amir's past and the guilt that will come back to haunt him for not saving Hassan.

  • The Taliban Return

    The New York Times article states, "Despite their defeat in 2001, the Taliban continued to wage a guerrilla warfare from a base in the mountainous and largely lawless tribal area on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border" (The New York Times).